London: After three months out with a knee injury, Kevin Pietersen is finally back on the cricket pitch as he looks to prove his fitness ahead of the Ashes series.
The South African-born batsman was selected by Surrey for their four-day English County Championship match against Yorkshire at Headingley starting on Thursday, his first competitive appearance since flying home early from England's tour of New Zealand in March with a right knee problem.
If he comes through the game, Pietersen is scheduled to play for England in the second of their two-match Twenty20 series against New Zealand at The Oval on Thursday, and then also in an Ashes warm-up match against Essex before the first Test at Trent Bridge, starting on July 10.
The South African-born batsman was selected by Surrey for their four-day English County Championship match against Yorkshire.
"And it's a perfect opportunity at The Oval and it'll just be nice to get back out there and whack a few balls - if I do whack a few - run around on the field, just get that buzz again. So I'm very happy."
Pietersen admitted he'd made mistakes over the incident that saw him dropped by England on disciplinary grounds last season. After scoring a superb Test hundred against South Africa at Leeds, Pietersen gave a press conference where he said "it's tough being me in this dressing room".
He was then dropped from the Test side amid reports he'd sent provocative messages to South Africa players, some reportedly critical of then England captain Andrew Strauss, and omitted from the World Twenty20 squad before being accepted back into the side across all formats.
"I probably didn't go about it in the best fashion," Pietersen said. "You make mistakes and you get over them and that's the way you grow as a human being, by learning from things that you don't do well.
"So I take it on the chin, no dramas, it's just a case of looking forward and making sure that you do the right things now."
The emergence of Joe Root in England's batting department meant Pietersen wasn't seriously missed for the 2-0 Test series win over New Zealand last month, but his class and experience could prove vital for the Ashes.
Pietersen's record against Australia is superb, scoring three centuries and eight 50s to average more than 52 in three Ashes-winning series. But he almost missed the chance to make it four by playing with his knee injury on the tour of New Zealand, exacerbating the problem.
"It was really bad. In New Zealand, I couldn't duck a bouncer, I couldn't sweep - I was in all sorts of trouble," Pietersen told English radio station talkSPORT, in what he says will be his only interview of the summer. "I was on the strongest painkillers and eventually my stomach just gave up with me in the second Test match.
"I probably did it a lot of damage by playing, but I just tried to get through and played for as long as I could because I hate missing Test matches."
With Surrey winning the toss and choosing to field first, Pietersen is unlikely to get any batting practice until Saturday.
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